Multi-layer ceramic electronic component

ABSTRACT

A multilayer ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body, and first and second external electrodes disposed on the surface of the ceramic body, respectively. The ceramic body includes a capacitance forming portion including a dielectric layer and internal electrodes, margin portions disposed on both sides of the capacitance forming portion, and cover portions disposed on both sides of the capacitance forming portion. The first and second external electrodes include first and second base electrodes, respectively, first and second conductive layers disposed on edges of the first and second base electrodes, respectively, and first and second terminal electrodes covering the first and second base electrodes, respectively.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is the continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/784,461 filed on Feb. 7, 2020, which claimsbenefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0108008filed on Sep. 2, 2019 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent.

BACKGROUND

Recently, with the trend for miniaturization of electronic products,multilayer ceramic electronic components are also required to beminiaturized and to have high capacity.

In accordance with the demand for miniaturization and high capacity ofmultilayer ceramic electronic components, external electrodes of amultilayer ceramic electronic component are also becoming thinner.

According to the related art, to form the external electrode, glass, abase resin, and an organic solvent are mixed with a conventionalconductive metal to manufacture an external electrode paste, theexternal electrode paste is applied to both end surfaces of a ceramicmain body, and then the ceramic main body is sintered to sinter a metalinside the external electrode.

The external electrode paste uses a conductive metal as a main materialto ensure chip sealing and electrical connection with the chip, and usesglass as an auxiliary material to fill an empty space when the metal issintered and shrunk while providing binding force between an externalelectrode and a chip.

However, as the multilayer ceramic electronic component has beenminiaturized and has high capacity, the stacking number of internalelectrodes is increased to secure capacity, so the design to reduce athickness of upper and lower cover layers is universally applied.

Accordingly, when an external electrode is formed, an internal electrodeis formed in the vicinity of a corner portion of a ceramic body, havinga reduced thickness, and thus may be easily exposed to physical andchemical impacts.

In detail, as an external electrode of the multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent is thinned, a thickness of an external electrode near a cornerportion of a ceramic main body is further reduced, so corner coverageperformance may be lowered and a plating solution may be penetrated.

Moreover, in the case of an external electrode used in a high capacitymodel, when an external electrode is sintered, in order to reducethermal shock, a material which can be sintered at low temperature isused. In detail, in the case of glass which is softened at a lowtemperature, the glass may have relatively weak acid resistanceproperties during plating. Due to the properties described above, when aplating layer is formed outside of an external electrode, a platingsolution may easily penetrate thereinto, which may mainly causedegradation of a product quality caused by degradation of moistureresistance reliability.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a multilayer ceramicelectronic component capable of improving corner coverage performance ofan external electrode to block a moisture penetration path so as toimprove moisture resistance reliability, and allowing a band portion ofthe external electrode to be formed to be thin.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayer ceramicelectronic component includes a ceramic body; and first and secondexternal electrodes disposed on the fifth surface and the sixth surfaceof the ceramic body, respectively. The ceramic body includes acapacitance forming portion including a dielectric layer and first andsecond internal electrodes disposed with the dielectric layer interposedtherebetween to be stacked in a third direction, margin portionsdisposed on both sides of the capacitance forming portion in a seconddirection, and cover portions disposed on both sides of the capacitanceforming portion in the third direction. The ceramic body has fifth andsixth surfaces opposing in a first direction, third and fourth surfacesopposing in the second direction, first and second surfaces opposing inthe third direction. The first and second external electrodes includefirst and second base electrodes disposed on the fifth surface and thesixth surface of the ceramic body, respectively, first and secondconductive layers disposed on edges of the first and second baseelectrodes, respectively, and first and second terminal electrodescovering the first and second base electrodes and the first and secondconductive layers, respectively. A ratio A₁/A₂ of an area A₁ of thefirst conductive layer or the second conductive layer, disposed on thefirst base electrode or the second base electrode and corresponding to across-section of the ceramic body in the second direction and the thirddirection, to an area A₂ of the end surface of the ceramic body parallelto the second direction and the third direction, is within a range of0.1 to 0.3.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a multilayerceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body having fifth andsixth surfaces opposing each other in a first direction, third andfourth surfaces opposing each other in a second direction, first andsecond surfaces opposing each other in a third direction, and including:a capacitance forming portion including a dielectric layer and first andsecond internal electrodes disposed with the dielectric layer interposedtherebetween to be stacked in the third direction, margin portionsdisposed on both sides of the capacitance forming portion in the seconddirection, and cover portions disposed on both sides of the capacitanceforming portion in the third direction; and first and second externalelectrodes disposed on the fifth surface and the sixth surface of theceramic body, respectively. The first and second external electrodesinclude first and second base electrodes disposed on the fifth surfaceand the sixth surface of the ceramic body, respectively, first andsecond conductive layers disposed on edges of the first and second baseelectrodes, respectively, and first and second terminal electrodescovering the first and second base electrodes and the first and secondconductive layers, respectively. The first conductive layer has anopening exposing a portion of the first base electrode disposed on thefifth surface, and covers a portion of the capacitance forming portionin the first direction and edges of the ceramic body where the fifthsurface meets the first to fourth surface. The second conductive layerhas an opening exposing a portion of the second base electrode disposedon the sixth surface, and covers another portion of the capacitanceforming portion in the first direction and edges of the ceramic bodywhere the sixth surface meets the first to fourth surface. End portionsof extending portions of the first base electrode and the second baseelectrode, disposed on the first to fourth surfaces and facing eachother in the first direction, are exposed from the first conductivelayer and the second conductive layer, respectively.

Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detaileddescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a multilayer ceramicelectronic component according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a multilayer ceramicelectronic component according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a structure ofarrangement of a base electrode on a ceramic body according to anembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a structure ofarrangement of a conductive layer on a base electrode of the multilayerceramic electronic component of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1 ;

FIGS. 6 to 8 are views of a multilayer ceramic electronic componentaccording to an embodiment viewed in direction A; and

FIGS. 9 to 11 are views of a multilayer ceramic electronic componentaccording to another embodiment viewed in direction A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described asfollows with reference to the attached drawings.

The present disclosure may, however, be exemplified in many differentforms and should not be construed as being limited to the specificembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Throughout the specification, it will be understood that when anelement, such as a layer, region or wafer (substrate), is referred to asbeing “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element, it can bedirectly “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” the other element orother elements intervening therebetween may be present. In contrast,when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directlyconnected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element, there may be noelements or layers intervening therebetween. Like numerals refer to likeelements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any andall combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be apparent that though the terms first, second, third, etc. maybe used herein to describe various members, components, regions, layersand/or sections, these members, components, regions, layers and/orsections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only usedto distinguish one member, component, region, layer or section fromanother region, layer or section. Thus, a first member, component,region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a secondmember, component, region, layer or section without departing from theteachings of the exemplary embodiments.

Spatially relative terms, such as “above,” “upper,” “below,” and “lower”and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe oneelement's relationship to another element(s) as shown in the figures. Itwill be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended toencompass different orientations of the device in use or operation inaddition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if thedevice in the figures is turned over, elements described as “above,” or“upper” other elements would then be oriented “below,” or “lower” theother elements or features. Thus, the term “above” can encompass boththe above and below orientations depending on a particular direction ofthe figures. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees orat other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may be interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein describes particular embodiments only, andthe present disclosure is not limited thereby. As used herein, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprises,” and/or “comprising”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, members, elements, and/or groupsthereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, integers, steps, operations, members, elements, and/orgroups thereof.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to schematic views illustrating embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In the drawings, for example, due to manufacturingtechniques and/or tolerances, modifications of the shape shown may beestimated. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure should not beconstrued as being limited to the particular shapes of regions shownherein, for example, to include a change in shape results inmanufacturing. The following embodiments may also be constituted by oneor a combination thereof.

The contents of the present disclosure described below may have avariety of configurations and propose only a required configurationherein, but are not limited thereto.

In the drawings, the X direction may be defined as a first direction, anL direction, or a longitudinal direction, the Y direction may be definedas a second direction, a W direction, or a width direction, and the Zdirection may be defined as a third direction, a T direction, or athickness direction.

Here, referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , a multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , a multilayer ceramic electronic componentaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a ceramicbody 110; and first and second external electrodes 131 and 132 disposedon a fifth surface S5 and a sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110,respectively. Moreover, the ceramic body includes capacitance formingportions α_(W) and α_(T) including a dielectric layer 111 and first andsecond internal electrodes 121 and 122 disposed with the dielectriclayer 111 interposed therebetween and stacked in the third direction(the Z direction), margin portions d disposed on both sides of thecapacitance forming portion α_(W) and α_(T) in the second direction (theY direction), and cover portions c disposed on both sides of thecapacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T) in the third direction (theZ direction), and includes the fifth and sixth surfaces S5 and S6opposing in the first direction (the X direction), the third and fourthsurfaces S3 and S4 opposing in the second direction (the Y direction),and the first and second surfaces S1 and S2 opposing in the thirddirection (the Z direction). The first and second external electrodes131 and 132 include first and second base electrodes 131 a and 132 adisposed on the fifth surface S5 and the sixth surface S6 of the ceramicbody 110, respectively, first and second conductive layers 131 b and 132b disposed on edges of the first and second base electrodes 131 a and132 a, respectively, and first and second terminal electrodes 131 c and132 c covering the first and second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a aswell as the first and second conductive layers 131 b and 132 b,respectively.

When the first and second conductive layers 131 b and 132 b are disposedon edge portions of the ceramic body 110, the first and secondconductive layers 131 b and 132 b may serve to protect internalelectrodes from an outside.

For miniaturization, large capacity, and formation of capacity of amultilayer ceramic electronic component, a structure for increasing thestacking number of internal electrodes and reducing a thickness of acover portion may be applied. In this case, when an external electrodeis formed, an internal electrode is formed in the vicinity of an edge ofa ceramic body, having a reduced thickness, and thus may be easilyexposed to physical and chemical impact.

In detail, as an external electrode of the multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent is thinned, a thickness of an external electrode near an edgeportion of a ceramic body is further reduced, so corner coverageperformance may be lowered and a plating solution may be penetrated.Moreover, when glass is applied to the external electrode, the externalelectrode may have relatively weak acid resistance properties duringplating. Due to the properties described above, when a plating layer isformed on an external electrode, a plating solution is easily penetratedthereinto, which may cause degradation of a product quality caused bydegradation of moisture resistance reliability. In the multilayerceramic electronic component according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the first and second conductive layers 131 a and 132 a aredisposed on edges of a ceramic body, respectively, so degradation ofmoisture resistance reliability, caused by plating solution penetrationand/or moisture penetration, may be prevented.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a ratio A₁/A₂ ofan area A₁ of the first conductive layer 131 b or the second conductivelayer 132 b, disposed on the first base electrode 131 a or the secondbase electrode 132 a and corresponding to an end surface of the ceramicbody 110 parallel to the second direction (the Y direction) and thethird direction (the Z direction), to an area A₂ of an end surface ofthe ceramic body 110 parallel to the second direction (the Y direction)and the third direction (the Z direction), may satisfy the range of 0.1to 0.3. That is, a portion of the first base electrode 131 a, forexample, a central portion, disposed on the fifth surface S5 may beexposed from the first conductive layer 131 b by an opening in the firstconductive layer 131 b, and a portion of the second base electrode 132a, for example, a central portion, disposed on the sixth surface S6 maybe exposed from the second conductive layer 132 b by an opening in thesecond conductive layer 132 b.

The area A₂ of the end surface of the ceramic body 110 in the seconddirection (the Y direction) and the third direction (the Z direction)may be a value obtained by multiplying a width and a thickness of theceramic body 110, for example, a value calculated as(d+α_(W)+d)×(c+α_(T)+c). Moreover, an area A₁ of the first conductivelayer 131 b or the second conductive layer 132 b corresponding to an endsurface of the ceramic body 110 parallel to the second direction (the Ydirection) and the third direction (the Z direction) may refer to anarea, covering the fifth surface S5 or the sixth surface S6 of theceramic body 110, of the first conductive layer 131 b or the secondconductive layer 132 b disposed on the first base electrode 131 a or thesecond base electrode 132 a. That is, an area A₁ of the first conductivelayer 131 b or the second conductive layer 132 b corresponding to an endsurface of the ceramic body 110 parallel to the second direction (the Ydirection) and the third direction (the Z direction) may refer to anarea of the first conductive layer 131 b or the second conductive layer132 b disposed on an end surface of the ceramic body 110 parallel to thesecond direction (the Y direction) and the third direction (the Zdirection).

In the multilayer ceramic electronic component 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, a ratio A₁/A₂ of an area A₁ of thefirst conductive layer 131 b or the second conductive layer 132 b,corresponding to an end surface of the ceramic body 110 parallel to thesecond direction (the Y direction) and the third direction (the Zdirection), to an area A₂ of an end surface of the ceramic body 110parallel to the second direction (the Y direction) and the thirddirection (the Z direction), may satisfy the range described above, soexcellent corner coverage characteristics may be obtained.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ceramic body 110 mayinclude capacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T) including adielectric layer 111, as well as first and second internal electrodes121 and 122, margin portions d disposed on both sides of the capacitanceforming portions α_(W) and α_(T) in the second direction (the Ydirection), and cover portions c disposed on both sides of thecapacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T) in the third direction (theZ direction).

A shape of the ceramic body 110 is not particularly limited, but may bea hexahedral shape or a shape similar to a hexahedral shape, asillustrated in the drawings. Although the ceramic body 110 does not havea hexahedral shape having perfectly straight lines due to shrinkage ofceramic powders included in the ceramic body 110 in a sintering process,the ceramic body 110 may have substantially the hexahedral shape. Theceramic body 110 may have first and second surfaces S1 and S2 opposingeach other in the thickness direction (the Z direction), third andfourth surfaces S3 and S4 connected to the first and second surfaces S1and S2 and opposing each other in the width direction (the Y direction),and fifth and sixth surfaces S5 and S6 connected to the first and secondsurfaces S1 and S2, connected to the third and fourth surfaces S3 andS4, and opposing each other in the length direction (the X direction).

The ceramic body 110 may be formed by alternately stacking a ceramicgreen sheet in which a first internal electrode 121 is printed on adielectric layer 111 and a ceramic green sheet in which a secondinternal electrode 122 is printed on a dielectric layer 111 in athickness direction (the Z direction).

The capacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T) may include adielectric layer 111 and internal electrodes 121 and 122 alternatelystacked in the third direction. The plurality of dielectric layers 111,forming the capacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T), may be in asintered state, and adjacent dielectric layers 111 may be integratedwith each other so that boundaries therebetween are not readily apparentwithout using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a raw material ofthe dielectric layer 111 is not particularly limited as long assufficient capacitance may be obtained therewith. For example, the rawmaterial of the dielectric layer 111 may be a barium titanate material,a lead composite perovskite-type material, or a strontium titanatematerial.

Moreover, a material of the dielectric layer 111 may be prepared byadding various ceramic additives, organic solvents, plasticizers,binders, dispersing agents, and the like, to powders such as bariumtitanate (BaTiO₃) powders, or the like, according to an object of thepresent disclosure.

For example, the dielectric layer 111 may be formed by applying anddrying slurry including a powder such as a barium titanate (BaTiO₃)powder, or the like, on a carrier film, to prepare a plurality ofceramic sheets. The ceramic sheet may be formed by mixing a ceramicpowder, a binder, and a solvent to prepare slurry, and forming theslurry into a sheet having a thickness of several μm using a doctorblade method, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the multilayer ceramic electronic component 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of internal electrodes121 and 122 are disposed to oppose each other with a dielectric layer111 interposed therebetween. The internal electrodes 121 and 122 mayinclude first and second internal electrodes 121 and 122 alternatelydisposed to oppose each other with a dielectric layer 111 interposedtherebetween.

The first internal electrode 121 may be exposed to one side of theceramic body 110 in the first direction (the X direction), and a portionof the first internal electrode, exposed to one side in the firstdirection (the X direction), may be connected to the first externalelectrode 131. The second internal electrode 122 may be exposed to theother side of the ceramic body 110 in the first direction (the Xdirection), and a portion of the second internal electrode, exposed tothe other side in the first direction (the X direction), may beconnected to the second external electrode 132. The first and secondinternal electrodes 121 and 122 may be electrically isolated from eachother by the dielectric layers 111 interposed therebetween.

Here, a material, forming the first and second internal electrodes 121and 122, is not particularly limited. For example, the first and secondinternal electrodes 121 and 122 may be formed using a conductive pastecontaining at least one among silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt),nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), tungsten (W), palladium (Pd),titanium (Ti), and an alloy thereof. A method of printing the conductivepaste such as screen printing or gravure printing may be used, but anembodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the multilayer ceramic electronic component 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, margin portions d may be disposedon both sides of the capacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T) in thesecond direction (the Y direction). The margin portions d may bedisposed on both sides of the capacitance forming portions α_(W) andα_(T) in the second direction (the Y direction), perpendicular to thefirst and third directions (the X direction and the Z direction). Themargin portions d may serve to prevent damage to the internal electrodedue to physical or chemical stress.

The margin portions d may be formed of an insulating material, and maybe formed of a ceramic material such as barium titanate. In this case,the margin portions d may include a ceramic material the same as thatincluded in the dielectric layer 111, or may be formed of a material thesame as the dielectric layer 111.

A method of forming the margin portions d is not particularly limited.For example, an area of dielectric layers included in the capacitanceforming portions α_(W) and α_(T) is greater than an area of an internalelectrode, and a margin region is formed in a remaining circumferentialportion except a portion of an internal electrode connected to anexternal electrode, slurry including ceramic is applied thereto, ordielectric sheets are attached to both sides of a capacitance formingportion in the second direction (the Y direction) so as to form themargin portions.

The multilayer ceramic electronic component 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may include cover portions c. Thecover portions c may be disposed at outermost portions of the first andsecond internal electrodes 121 and 122. The cover portions may bedisposed in a lower portion of an internal electrode in a lowermostportion of the ceramic body 110 and an upper portion of an internalelectrode in an uppermost portion. In this case, the cover portion maybe formed of a composition the same as the dielectric layer 111, and maybe formed by stacking at least one dielectric layer not including aninternal electrode in each of an upper portion of an internal electrodein an uppermost portion of the ceramic body 110 and a lower portion ofan internal electrode in a lowermost portion. The cover portions c maybasically serve to prevent damage to the internal electrode due tophysical or chemical stress.

In the multilayer ceramic electronic component 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the first external electrode 131and the second external electrode 132 may be disposed on both sides ofthe ceramic body in the first direction (the X direction). The firstexternal electrode 131 is electrically connected to the first internalelectrode 121, while the second external electrode 132 is electricallyconnected to the second internal electrode 122.

The first and second external electrodes 131 and 132 may include firstand second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a disposed on both sides of theceramic body 110 in the first direction (the X direction) and first andsecond conductive layers 131 b and 132 b disposed on edges of the firstand second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a, respectively. FIG. 4 is aschematic perspective view illustrating a structure in which first andsecond base electrodes 131 a and 132 a as well as first and secondconductive layers 131 b and 132 b are only disposed in the ceramic body110. Referring to FIG. 4 , the first base electrode 131 a covers thefifth surface S5 of the ceramic body 110, and the first conductive layer131 b may be disposed on the fifth surface S5 of the ceramic body 110,on which the first base electrode 131 a is disposed, and an edge atwhich the first to fifth surfaces S1 to S5 meet. Moreover, the secondbase electrode 132 a covers the sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body110, and the second conductive layer 132 b may be disposed on the sixthsurface S6 of the ceramic body 110, on which the second base electrode132 a is disposed, and an edge at which the first to fourth surfaces S1to S4 and the sixth surface S6 meet.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first conductive layer131 b may extend and be disposed on a first base electrode 131 adisposed on the fifth surface S5 of the ceramic body 110 and anextending portion, such as a band portion, of the first base electrode131 a extending on the first to fourth surfaces S1 to S4 in contact withthe fifth surface S5, while the second conductive layer 132 b may extendand be disposed on a second base electrode 132 a disposed on the sixthsurface S6 of the ceramic body 110 and an extending portion, such as aband portion, of a second base electrode 132 a extending on the first tofourth surfaces S1 to S4 in contact with the sixth surface S6. Referringto FIG. 4 , the first conductive layer 131 b may extend and disposed ona first base electrode 131 a disposed on the fifth surface S5 of theceramic body 110 and an extending portion, such as a band portion, ofthe first base electrode 131 a extending on the first to fourth surfacesS1 to S4 of the ceramic body 110, while the second conductive layer 132b may extend and disposed on a second base electrode 132 a disposed onthe sixth surface S6 of the ceramic body 110 and an extending portion,such as a band portion, of the second base electrode 132 a extending onthe first to fourth surfaces S1 to S4 of the ceramic body 110. In oneexample, end portions of the extending portions (e.g., end portions ofthe band portions) of the first base electrode 131 a and the second baseelectrode 132 a, disposed on the first to fourth surfaces S1 to S4 andfacing each other in the first direction (the X direction), may beexposed from the first conductive layer 131 b and the second conductivelayer 132 b, respectively.

That is, the first conductive layer 131 b may be disposed on an edge ofthe first base electrode 131 a, while the second conductive layer 132 bmay be disposed on an edge of the second base electrode 132 a. Asdescribed above, the first and second conductive layers 131 b and 132 bcover respective edges of the first and second base electrodes 131 a and132 a, and may thus compensate for each edge, a weak point of themultilayer ceramic electronic component 100.

As described above, the first base electrode 131 a and the second baseelectrode 132 a extend and are disposed on the first to fourth surfacesS1 to S4 of the ceramic body 110. In this case, if the first baseelectrode 131 a and the second base electrode 132 a are placedsignificantly close to each other, short of a component may occur. Thus,the first base electrode 131 a and the second base electrode 132 a maybe spaced apart from each other. A separation distance between the firstbase electrode 131 a and the second base electrode 132 a is notparticularly limited. For example, the first base electrode and thesecond base electrode may be spaced apart from each other by a distance1/20 times or more and less than a length of the ceramic body 110.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the ceramicbody 110 is viewed in the first direction (the X direction), ends of thefirst and second conductive layers 131 b and 132 b are disposed on thecapacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T). Here, ends of the firstand second conductive layers 131 b and 132 b are disposed on thecapacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T). This refers to a structurein which ends of the first and second conductive layers 131 b and 132 bare disposed in a region in which the internal electrodes 121 and 122are disposed, assuming that first and second base electrodes 131 a and132 a are not provided. For example, the first and second conductivelayers 131 b and 132 b may overlap with the capacitance forming portionsα_(W) and α_(T), or one or more internal electrodes, in the firstdirection (the X direction).

Referring to FIG. 5 , in an embodiment, ends of the first and secondconductive layers 131 b and 132 b may be disposed over a region of thecover portions c in a region of the capacitance forming portions α_(W)and α_(T). When moisture penetrates into the multilayer ceramicelectronic component 100, in consideration of a structure of themultilayer ceramic electronic component 100, a gap between thecapacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T) and the cover portions cmay be the weakest point. In this regard, because of difference insintering shrinkage of the dielectric layer 111 and the internalelectrodes 121 and 122, a point, at which an internal electrode in anoutermost portion and the cover portion c meet, becomes a point with theweakest mechanical strength. In the multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent 100 according to an embodiment, the first conductive layer 131b and the second conductive layer 132 b are disposed on edges of thefirst and second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a, respectively, whilecovering ends of the capacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T). Thus,corner coverage of a point at which the capacitance forming portionsα_(W) and α_(T) and the cover portion c meet may be improved, and thus amoisture penetration path may be blocked in advance.

The first terminal electrode 131 c and the second terminal electrode 132c of the multilayer ceramic electronic component 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure may cover the first conductivelayer 131 b and the second conductive layer 132 b, respectively. In thisspecification, terminal electrodes 131 c and 132 c cover conductivelayers 131 b and 132 b. This refers to terminal electrodes 131 c and 132c disposed so as not to expose the conductive layers 131 b and 132 bexternally. In detail, the first conductive layer 131 b and the secondconductive layer 132 b are disposed in the first external electrode 131and the second external electrode 132, respectively. Here, when viewedfrom the outside, only the first terminal electrode 131 c and the secondterminal electrode 132 c are seen.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a region in which the firstand second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a and the first and secondterminal electrodes 131 c and 132 c are in contact with each other inthe first direction (the X direction) of the ceramic body 110 of themultilayer ceramic electronic component 100 may be included in an endsurface of the capacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T) in thesecond direction (the Y direction) and the third direction (the Zdirection). Here, the region in which the first and second baseelectrodes 131 a and 132 a and the first and second terminal electrodes131 c and 132 c are in contact with each other in the first direction(the X direction) of the ceramic body 110 may be included in an endsurface of the capacitance forming portions α_(W) and α_(T) in thesecond direction (the Y direction) and the third direction (the Zdirection). This refers to, when the ceramic body 110 is viewed in thefirst direction (the X direction), a size of the region in which thefirst and second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a and the first andsecond terminal electrodes 131 c and 132 c are in contact with eachother smaller than a size of an end surface of the capacitance formingportions α_(W) and α_(T) in the second direction (the Y direction) andthe third direction (the Z direction). In an embodiment, the first andsecond base electrodes 131 a and 132 a are disposed on the ceramic body110, the first conductive layer 131 b and the second conductive layer132 b are disposed on edges of the first and second base electrodes 131a and 132 a, the first base electrode 131 a and the first conductivelayer 131 b are covered by the first terminal electrode 131 c, and thesecond base electrode 132 a and the second conductive layer 132 b arecovered by the second terminal electrode 132 c. Thus, while moistureresistance reliability is improved, electrical conductivity ismaintained, so performance of the multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent 100 may be maintained.

FIGS. 6 to 8 are schematic views of the multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent 100 of FIG. 1 viewed in direction A. Referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, regions of first andsecond base electrodes 131 a and 132 a on which first and secondconductive layers 131 b and 132 b are not formed have a quadrangularshape in the first direction of the ceramic body 110. When the regionsof first and second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a on which first andsecond conductive layers 131 b and 132 b are not formed have aquadrangular shape, an area of corner coverage of an external electrodeis uniform, so a plating solution penetration prevention effect may bemore excellent.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 9 to 11 , in a multilayer ceramicelectronic component 100 according to another embodiment of the presentdisclosure, regions of first and second base electrodes 131 a and 132 aon which first and second conductive layers 131 b and 132 b are notformed have a circular shape in the first direction (the X direction) ofthe ceramic body 110. When the regions of first and second baseelectrodes 131 a and 132 a on which first and second conductive layers131 b and 132 b are not formed have a circular shape, a moisturepenetration path is further reduced, so a plating solution penetrationprevention effect may be excellent.

In an example of the present disclosure, a first conductive layer 131 b,a second conductive layer 132 b, a first base electrode 131 a, and asecond base electrode 132 a of the multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure mayinclude the same conductive metal. As in an example, when the firstconductive layer 131 b, the second conductive layer 132 b, the firstbase electrode 131 a, and the second base electrode 132 a include thesame conductive metal, adhesion between the conductive layers 131 b and132 b and the base electrodes 131 a and 132 a is improved, so externalmoisture could be prevented more effectively from being penetrated.

In another example of the present disclosure, the first conductive layer131 b, the second conductive layer 132 b, the first base electrode 131a, and the second base electrode 132 a include conductive metals, and anaverage particle diameter of conductive metals included in the first andsecond base electrodes 131 a and 132 a may be smaller than an averageparticle diameter of conductive metals included in the first and secondconductive layers 131 b and 132 b. The average particle diameter of theconductive metals may refer to a diameter of D50, and may be a valuemeasured using a particle size analyzer such as SALD-7101, availablefrom Shimadzu Corporation. When the average particle diameter ofconductive metals included in the first and second conductive layers 131b and 132 b is greater than the average particle diameter of conductivemetals included in the first and second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a,the first base electrode 131 a and the second base electrode 132 a,disposed on edges of the ceramic body 110, have a denser structure, somoisture penetration preventing performance may be further improved.Moreover, compactness between the first and second conductive layers 131b and 132 b and the first and second base electrodes 131 a and 132 a isincreased, so moisture resistance reliability may be further improved.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first conductive layer 131b, a second conductive layer 132 b, a first base electrode 131 a, and asecond base electrode 132 a may include copper (Cu). The firstconductive layer 131 b, the second conductive layer 132 b, the firstbase electrode 131 a, and the second base electrode 132 a may containthe largest amount of copper (Cu), but an embodiment is not limitedthereto. For example, the first conductive layer, the second conductivelayer, the first base electrode, and the second base electrode may beformed using a conductive paste including at least one material amongnickel (Ni), tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), silver(Ag), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), lead (Pb), and an alloy thereof, aswell as glass.

A method for forming the first conductive layer 131 b, the secondconductive layer 132 b, the first base electrode 131 a, and the secondbase electrode 132 a is not particularly limited. For example, the firstconductive layer, the second conductive layer, the first base electrode,and the second base electrode may be formed by dipping a ceramic body ina conductive paste including a conductive metal and glass, printing theconductive paste on a surface of a ceramic body using screen printing orgravure printing, applying the conductive paste to a surface of aceramic body, or transferring a dried film with a dried conductive pasteon a ceramic body, but an embodiment is not limited thereto. The firstconductive layer 131 b, the second conductive layer 132 b, the firstbase electrode 131 a, and the second base electrode 132 a are formed ofthe conductive paste described above. Thus, while sufficientconductivity is maintained, compactness of an external electrode isincreased due to added glass, so penetration of a plating solutionand/or external moisture may be effectively suppressed.

A glass component, included in the first conductive layer 131 b, thesecond conductive layer 132 b, the first base electrode 131 a, and thesecond base electrode 132 a, may be a mixture of oxides. It is notparticularly limited, and the glass component may be one or moreselected from the group consisting of silicon oxide, boron oxide,aluminum oxide, transition metal oxide, alkali metal oxide, and alkalineearth metal oxide. The transition metal may be selected from the groupconsisting of zinc (Zn), titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), vanadium (V),manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and nickel (Ni), the alkali metal may beselected from the group consisting of lithium (Li), sodium (Na), andpotassium (K), and the alkaline earth metal may be one or more selectedfrom the group consisting of magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium(Sr), and barium (Ba).

In one example, the first and second terminal electrodes 131 c and 132 cmay be formed by plating. The first and second terminal electrodes 131 cand 132 c may be formed using sputtering or electrolytic plating such aselectric deposition, but an embodiment is not limited thereto.

The first and second terminal electrodes 131 c and 132 c may contain alargest amount of nickel (Ni), but an embodiment is not limited thereto.Alternatively, the first and second terminal electrodes may include oneof nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), tin (Sn), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt),gold (Au), silver (Ag), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), or lead (Pb), or analloy thereof. The plating layer is included, so mountability on asubstrate, structural reliability, durability to an outside, heatresistance, and/or equivalent series resistance (ESR) may be improved.

In Table 1, thicknesses of an external electrode in an edge of a ceramicbody according to whether first and second conductive layers areapplied, and a ratio of an area of first and second conductive layers toan area of an end surface of a ceramic body are illustrated.

TABLE 1 Thickness (μm) of Whether Ratio (%) external Thicknessconductive of area of electrode (μm) of layer conductive disposedexternal Classification is placed layer on edge electrode Comparative No0 7 290 Example 1 Example 1 Yes 10 15 296 Example 2 20 22 299 Example 330 25 323 Comparative 40 26 380 Example 2

As illustrated in Table 1, compared with Comparative Example 1 in whichfirst and second conductive layers are not disposed, in Examples 1 to 3,while a thickness of an external electrode is not significantlyaffected, a thickness of an external electrode disposed on an edge isformed to be relatively great. In addition, if an area of a conductivelayer exceeds 30%, an overall thickness of an external electrode issignificantly increased, so it is difficult to miniaturize a component.

As set forth above, according to an embodiment in the presentdisclosure, a multilayer ceramic electronic component capable ofimproving corner coverage performance of an external electrode may beprovided.

According to another embodiment in the present disclosure, a multilayerceramic electronic component with improved moisture resistancereliability may be provided.

According to still another embodiment in the present disclosure, amultilayer ceramic electronic component capable of blocking a moisturepenetration path, and allowing a band portion of an external electrodeto be thin may be provided.

While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described above, it willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications andvariations could be made without departing from the scope of the presentinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multilayer ceramic electronic component,comprising: a ceramic body having fifth and sixth surfaces opposing eachother in a first direction, third and fourth surfaces opposing eachother in a second direction, first and second surfaces opposing eachother in a third direction, the ceramic body including: a capacitanceforming portion including a dielectric layer and first and secondinternal electrodes disposed with the dielectric layer interposedtherebetween to be stacked in the third direction, margin portionsdisposed on both sides of the capacitance forming portion in the seconddirection, and cover portions disposed on both sides of the capacitanceforming portion in the third direction; and first and second externalelectrodes disposed on the fifth surface and the sixth surface of theceramic body, respectively, wherein the first and second externalelectrodes include first and second base electrodes disposed on thefifth surface and the sixth surface of the ceramic body, respectively, afirst conductive layer disposed on edges of the first base electrode andextending toward a central portion of the fifth surface, so as to coveruppermost and lowermost first internal electrodes in the third directionamong the first internal electrodes, and a second conductive layerdisposed on edges of the second base electrode and extending toward acentral portion of the sixth surface, so as to cover uppermost andlowermost second internal electrodes in the third direction among thesecond internal electrodes, and first and second terminal electrodescovering the first and second base electrodes and the first and secondconductive layers, respectively, and wherein a region, in which thefirst and second base electrodes are in contact with the first andsecond terminal electrodes, respectively, in the first direction of theceramic body, is included in an end surface of the capacitance formingportion parallel to the second direction and the third direction.
 2. Themultilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the firstconductive layer is disposed on the first base electrode, disposed onthe fifth surface of the ceramic body, and the first conductive layerextends onto an extending portion of the first base electrode extendingon the first surface to the fourth surface, in contact with the fifthsurface, and the second conductive layer is disposed on the second baseelectrode, disposed on the sixth surface of the ceramic body, and thesecond conductive layer extends onto an extending portion of the secondbase electrode extending on the first surface to the fourth surface, incontact with the sixth surface.
 3. The multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent of claim 2, wherein end portions of the extending portions ofthe first base electrode and the second base electrode, disposed on thefirst to fourth surfaces and facing each other in the first direction,are in contact with the first and second terminal electrodes,respectively.
 4. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 1,wherein, when the ceramic body is viewed in the first direction, ends ofthe first and second conductive layers are disposed on the capacitanceforming portion.
 5. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim1, wherein the first and second conductive layers have aquadrangular-shaped opening on the first and second base electrodes inthe first direction, respectively.
 6. The multilayer ceramic electroniccomponent of claim 1, wherein the first and second conductive layershave a circular-shaped opening on the first and second base electrodesin the first direction, respectively.
 7. The multilayer ceramicelectronic component of claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer, thesecond conductive layer, the first base electrode, and the second baseelectrode include the same conductive metal.
 8. The multilayer ceramicelectronic component of claim 1, wherein an average particle diameter ofconductive metals included in the first and second base electrodes issmaller than an average particle diameter of conductive metals includedin the first and second conductive layers.
 9. The multilayer ceramicelectronic component of claim 1, wherein copper is the conductive metalincluded in the first conductive layer, the second conductive layer, thefirst base electrode, and the second base electrode.
 10. The multilayerceramic electronic component of claim 1, wherein the first baseelectrode, the second base electrode, the first conductive layer, andthe second conductive layer include a conductive metal and glass.
 11. Amultilayer ceramic electronic component, comprising: a ceramic bodyhaving fifth and sixth surfaces opposing each other in a firstdirection, third and fourth surfaces opposing each other in a seconddirection, first and second surfaces opposing each other in a thirddirection, the ceramic body including: a capacitance forming portionincluding a dielectric layer and first and second internal electrodesdisposed with the dielectric layer interposed therebetween to be stackedin the third direction, margin portions disposed on both sides of thecapacitance forming portion in the second direction, and cover portionsdisposed on both sides of the capacitance forming portion in the thirddirection; and first and second external electrodes disposed on thefifth surface and the sixth surface of the ceramic body, respectively,wherein the first and second external electrodes include first andsecond base electrodes disposed on the fifth surface and the sixthsurface of the ceramic body, respectively, a first conductive layerdisposed on edges of the first base electrode, and extending toward acentral portion of the fifth surface, so as to cover uppermost andlowermost first internal electrodes in the third direction among thefirst internal electrodes, and a second conductive layer disposed onedges of the second base electrode and extending toward a centralportion of the sixth surface, so as to cover uppermost and lowermostsecond internal electrodes in the third direction among the secondinternal electrodes, and first and second terminal electrodes coveringthe first and second base electrodes and the first and second conductivelayers, respectively, the first conductive layer has an opening on aportion of the first base electrode disposed on the fifth surface, andcovers a portion of the capacitance forming portion in the firstdirection and edges of the ceramic body where the fifth surface meetsthe first to fourth surface, and the second conductive layer has anopening on a portion of the second base electrode disposed on the sixthsurface, and covers another portion of the capacitance forming portionin the first direction and edges of the ceramic body where the sixthsurface meets the first to fourth surface.
 12. The multilayer ceramicelectronic component of claim 11, wherein each of the first conductivelayer and the second conductive layer is disposed on portions of edgeswhere the first to fourth surfaces meet each other.
 13. The multilayerceramic electronic component of claim 11, wherein the first conductivelayer, the second conductive layer, the first base electrode, and thesecond base electrode include the same conductive metal.
 14. Themultilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 11, wherein an averageparticle diameter of conductive metals included in the first and secondbase electrodes is smaller than an average particle diameter ofconductive metals included in the first and second conductive layers.15. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim 11, whereincopper is the conductive metal included in the first conductive layer,the second conductive layer, the first base electrode, and the secondbase electrode.
 16. The multilayer ceramic electronic component of claim11, wherein the first base electrode, the second base electrode, thefirst conductive layer, and the second conductive layer include aconductive metal and glass.